Things That Go Bump In The Night
by Imadra Blue
Summary: Obi-Wan wakes up in the middle of the night to fetch Luke a glass of water, assuring him that there are no things that go bump in the night, despite what his twin sister might be telling him. AU. Gen, with background slash implications between adults.


**Warnings:** AU  
**Disclaimer:** I'm not George Lucas, and I'm not making any money from this.  
**Notes:** Written for Sarah on the occasion of her birthday. This is an alternate universe where Anakin killed Palpatine instead of Mace in RotS. Based loosely off an RPverse done with Luthe that never got this far in the timeline. If you squint, there's a little Anakin/Obi-Wan in here.

--

Obi-Wan woke up in the middle of the night, feeling as if someone were staring at him. When he turned to his left, he found Anakin sound asleep, lying on his stomach and snoring lightly. Obi-Wan smiled fondly, brushing strands of dark blond hair out of Anakin's handsome face. Obi-Wan's fingers drifted over the wide scar across his former apprentice's right cheek, running down his long neck and into his broad shoulder. It was a constant reminder of Anakin's failure to protect his beloved Padmé when the clone troopers had arrived at her apartment at the end of the Clone Wars.

Obi-Wan closed his eyes briefly, trying not to remember the horror of Order 67, but unable to stop the memories. Chancellor Palpatine had been a powerful Sith Lord, and one with a clever failsafe. Once he died, the clone troopers had been automatically ordered to exterminate all Jedi -- including the unborn ones. Obi-Wan had only just escaped Utapau, and when he and Yoda had arrived on Coruscant, they had found the Jedi Temple in shambles. Many Jedi had died before Mace Windu had been able to cancel Order 67, at the cost of his own life. Padmé had died in the attack as well, but her unborn children -- _Anakin's_ unborn children -- had been saved.

With the Jedi Order decimated and the depth of the Sith deception revealed, Yoda had decided the Jedi needed to rebuild and change, for they had failed to change with time as the Sith had, instead mired in traditions that had done them no good. Anakin had not been expelled from the Order, despite his secret marriage, but had been so distraught over the loss of Padmé that he'd nearly died protecting the Jedi Temple, filled with a fury that the Jedi had feared would be turned back on them. When he had finally collapsed from the effort, Obi-Wan had helped Anakin piece together his life and his sanity, an arduous process that had taken most of the past four years. It had bound them together closer than they ever had been, in ways more intimate than either expected. With the changes of the Jedi Order and the many allowances Yoda had acknowledged that most beings needed, Obi-Wan had not rejected the obvious and much-needed attachment, but rather strove to control it -- and to help Anakin to remember to do the same.

Yet, as Obi-Wan realized _someone_ was still staring at him, he remembered that the difficulties of the past four years had not entirely been centered on helping Anakin find balance and recover from the loss of his wife. In many ways, caring for Anakin's Force-sensitive twins had been just as trying. Padmé had named them before she died: Luke and Leia Skywalker. To Obi-Wan, their names had been "Sleep Loss" and "Constant Headache". He'd somehow soldiered through without killing either of them, and not just because Anakin would have killed _him_. They'd rather grown on him.

"Ben?"

Obi-Wan sighed and turned his head to the right. There, standing in the gloom of his private bedroom, was young Luke Skywalker. His little blue pajamas drooped off his thin hips, and one hand lifted his top to scratch at his soft belly, while the other rubbed sleepily at his large, sky blue eyes. The likeness to Anakin was uncanny, though Luke's personality was infinitely softer and more understanding, even if just as eager and adventurous.

"Ben? Can I have a glass of water? I'm thirsty," whispered Luke, rubbing at his short, blond Padawan's braid. Obi-Wan sighed. Luke and Leia had been unable to pronounce his name, and since they were too young to truly be apprenticed, he'd accepted the mangled pet name they'd invented for him.

"Ben, I'm --"

"I heard you the first time, Luke," said Obi-Wan with some annoyance. He wondered how the small boy had managed to escape the room he still shared with his twin sister and sneak into Anakin and Obi-Wan's room unnoticed. "Why don't you get a glass of water yourself? If you could cross the common room to get in here, surely you could go into our kitchenette."

Luke's bottom lip stuck out, increasing the physical similarity to his father. "I'm scared, Ben."

"Why? There's no such thing as invisible shadow monsters under your bed, in the closet, or even the icebox. We've had this discussion before."

"But I'm still scared."

The logic was so fallible that Obi-Wan could not argue with it. He sighed and sat up, glancing back over at Anakin. As was typical, he was still asleep. Nothing short of a thermal detonator would wake Anakin up unless he had a nightmare, and those had thankfully been infrequent since Palpatine's death. Under Luke's watchful gaze, Obi-Wan slipped on a pair of pajama bottoms after using the Force to pull them off the floor and into his hand. He kept his nudity covered by the blankets, and once dressed, he stood up and held out a hand to Luke, which was instantly clasped. Obi-Wan gently pressed a thumb over Luke's hand, still amazed at how small and soft it was.

"We're going to get my glass of water now?"

"Yes, Luke," said Obi-Wan with a sigh, guiding Luke to the small kitchenette provided with their quarters. Luke drew closer to him, trembling at the shadows. His eyes seemed to have swallowed his face. Since the hazy glow from the Coruscant city lights was apparently not enough for Luke, Obi-Wan flipped on the light in the common room. Luke breathed a sigh of relief, visibly relaxing, though he still clutched Obi-Wan's hand tightly. Obi-Wan poured him a small glass of water, saying nothing as he handed it to Luke.

Luke examined the water doubtfully. "Do you think there's bacteria in the water, Ben? Leia said there sometimes is, and it's invisible, and it could eat me alive from the inside out."

Making a mental note to instruct Leia to stop terrifying her brother, Obi-Wan forced a smile. "No. Even if there were, the Jedi Temple would not be dispensing such infected water. It's safe to drink."

Luke still looked doubtful, so Obi-Wan took the glass and took a sip, making a great show of swallowing and smacking his lips before handing it back. Luke watched him intently, as if waiting for Obi-Wan to fall to the floor, writhing in agony as his blood seeped out of his pores. When Obi-Wan failed to do anything but look at him impatiently, Luke finally asked, "Is it safe?"

"Yes, it's perfectly safe. Don't believe everything your sister tells you."

Luke tentatively took a sip, then waited a moment, looking pensive, before taking another. "So she wasn't telling the truth when she said Master Yoda liked to drink human's blood when they turned five?"

Well, that certainly explained why Luke had started crying the last time Yoda had tried to talk to him. Leia was a _menace_, just like her father, full of a wild imagination and a rather wicked urge to frighten her twin brother. Obi-Wan frowned.

"That was definitely a lie."

"What about when she said if I stood too long in the sun, my brain would melt?" Luke's voice was weirdly muffled as he took another sip of water.

"Another lie."

"And the one about Mr. Chewbacca being my real mother?"

"Lie. Your mother is part of the Force now, Luke. We've had this discussion, too." Without Anakin present, of course. He still reacted badly to mentions of Padmé.

"What about the one where boys put babies inside girls?"

"That's the truth."

"It is?"

"It's a bit more complicated than that, but let's have the more detailed discussion in a few more years."

Luke finished his water and solemnly handed the cup to Obi-Wan, who placed it in the dishwasher. Luke took Obi-Wan's hand again the moment it was free. "Can I sleep with you and Daddy tonight, Ben?"

"No, Luke, you need to learn to sleep in your own bed alone, just like a grown-up."

"But you're a grown-up and you don't sleep alone. You sleep with Daddy."

Obi-Wan clapped a hand to his face. "That's different."

"Why?"

"I'll tell you when you're older. Now, back to bed."

Obi-Wan led Luke to his bedroom, flipping the lights on. Luke frowned when Obi-Wan picked him up and put him in his bed. He looked remarkably sad and pathetic, and Obi-Wan cursed himself, a small pang in his chest at the sight.

Obi-Wan gestured at Leia's bed across the carpeted room. "Look, Luke, your sister is perfectly capable of sleeping on her own. Just look at her, she's --" Obi-Wan cut himself off, noticing Leia was _not_ in her bed. Sudden and unrestrained panic filled him. Where had she gone? A remarkably independent child, Leia had a bad habit of wandering off, and he hoped she was still in the Jedi Temple this time. No telling what horrors could befall a small girl out in the downlevels of Coruscant if she'd gotten too far.

Finding it hard to breathe, Obi-Wan reached out into the Force, hoping he'd be able to _find_ Leia this time. She had a natural ability to hide her presence, which was why none of the medical droids had detected that Padmé had been carrying twins until the pregnancy was almost over. Obi-Wan imagined all sorts of unsavory crooks kidnapping Leia for nefarious purposes, or a stray speeder running her over, or her small body getting caught in the crossfire of rival spice runners, or...

... then he caught just a _glimmer_.

Without a single word, Obi-Wan ran back to his room. As the metal door slid open, the weight on his chest fell off when he discovered a very pretty young brunette curled up in her father's arms, sleeping soundly. Anakin blinked up at Obi-Wan, smiling a little sadly, as he always did around his children, the last of his connections to Padmé.

"She had a nightmare," Anakin whispered. "Something about that Wookiee friend of Yoda's, blood-drinking, and flesh-eating bacteria. I couldn't make it all out."

Relieved more than words could express, Obi-Wan smiled. He felt a sudden push against his legs and watched Luke blithely toddle past and climb into the bed, settling next to Leia. The small boy drew the white blankets over him and beamed in Obi-Wan's direction, innocent as the day he'd been born.

Obi-Wan sighed and gave into the inevitable, sliding into bed next to Luke. When the little boy snuggled up against him, Obi-Wan glanced at Anakin, who still had Leia in his arms. Both father and daughter were already fast asleep. Feeling strangely satisfied and complete, Obi-Wan closed his eyes and prepared to join them.

_End._


End file.
